United States — NASA
Ranger 8: Lunar Impact

Mission Details

Mission Name: Ranger 8
Mission Type: Lunar Impact
Operator: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Launching State: United States
Location: Sea of Tranquillity
Latitude: 2.638
Longitude: 24.787
Launch Date: 17 February 1965, 17:05:00 UT
Landing Date: 20 February 1965, 09:57:36 UT
Objects on or Related to Site:
Ranger 8
Image Source: NASA

Description

The Ranger project of the 1960s was a US effort to launch probes directly toward the Moon. The spacecraft were designed to relay pictures and other data as they approached the Moon and finally crash-landed into its surface. A variety of difficulties plagued the first several attempted missions in this series, but the later Rangers were finally a complete success.

The mission of Ranger 8 was to take high-resolution photographs of the Moon before impacting the lunar surface.

Read more:
https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/past/ranger.html
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/ranger-8/in-depth/

Heritage Consideration

Ranger 8 impacted the Moon about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from its target in the Sea of Tranquility, the area where Apollo 11 landed July 20, 1969, bringing the first humans to the Moon.

Object on or Related to Site

Object Name: Ranger 8
Cospar: 1965-010A
Norad: N/A
Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed.
Launch Date: 17 February 1965, 17:05:00 UT
Landing Date: 20 February 1965, 09:57:36 UT
Deployment: N/A
End Date: N/A
Function: Lunar imagery.
Image Source: NASA

Description

Ranger 8 was a lunar probe in the Ranger program, a robotic spacecraft series launched by NASA in the early-to-mid-1960s to obtain the first close-up images of the Moon’s surface. These pictures helped select landing sites for Apollo missions and were used for scientific study. During its 1965 mission, Ranger 8 transmitted 7,137 lunar surface photographs before it crashed into the Moon as planned.

Suggested
Suggested contents and articles.
Suggested Contents
Ranger 7: Lunar Impact
The mission of Ranger 7 was to take high-resolution photographs of the Moon before impacting the lunar surface. The images taken by Ranger 7 helped scientists conclude the Apollo astronauts could safely land in the smooth mare regions (the "seas") of the Moon.
Ranger 6: Lunar Impact
Ranger 6 was principally designed to transmit high-resolution photographs of the Moon before impacting the lunar surface. The spacecraft carried six television videocon cameras, however, due to a failure of the camera system, no images were returned.
Ranger 4: Lunar Impact
Ranger 4 was designed to transmit pictures of the lunar surface to Earth stations during a period of ten minutes prior to impacting on the Moon.
Comments
All comments.
Comments